Can146;t axe those roots

We may be Muslims, saab, but we cannot cut this peepal tree. His name is Rahim and his band of workers sound Muslim too. The carpenter 8212; Maulana saab. The painters 8212; Abdul and Ismail. The plumber 8212; Yaqub. I didn8217;t hire him because of who he was or who he thinks he is but because he8217;s a competent contractor. And among the many other jobs that a house needs, cutting the peepal tree on the terrace of our landlord8217;s apartment was one. The tree, like thousands on Delhi buildings and millions across north India, was a hazard to the building. My generally invisible neighbours brought it to my notice. The tree had to go. Period.

Which faith considered the peepal holy and whose adherents would not cut it, was no concern of mine. Likewise, the fact that Rahim was a Muslim meant nothing to me while negotiating the tree job at hand. Besides, if the contractor was a Hindu and had refused, I may not have been surprised. But Rahim is a Muslim. I told him as much. 8220;We may be Muslims but our culture is not and we cannot cut that tree,8221; was his reply. 8220;Get another one, for your god8217;s sake,8221; I said, exasperated. 8220;Will do.8221;

In a country that8217;s constantly sitting on a short fuse of religion, the somewhat uncooperative Rahim stood like an icon of unity. His belief system goes beyond religion. He is proud to be a Muslim the Namaaz breaks, for instance but is equally proud of his cultural heritage and his stubborn refusal to cut the peepal. Behind his inability and unwillingness to cut the peepal lies a deep-rooted conservatism that8217;s simultaneously sublime. If Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev talks about outdated superstitions 8212; the cat crossing the road, for instance 8212; and how we need to contemporise our belief systems, Rahim is a simple soul for whom superstition is the glue that bonds him with a Hindu.

Two days later the tree was cut. 8220;Three small trees, saab,8221; Rahim said and showed me three trees, one trouble-making 5-inch thick trunk, and two smaller ones. I looked into his eyes. A hint of victory, a sense of accomplishment, a satisfaction of a job well done within constraints that go beyond the job. 8220;Good work,8221; I said. He folded his hands and smiled.